Derek Chauvin’s Charges Increased to 2nd Degree Murder and Fellow Officers Being Charged Now As Well
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who was newly appointed to the murder case of George Floyd, replacing original prosecutor Mike Freeman, will announce that the other three now-fired Minneapolis police officers involved in the arrest that resulted in murder charges for fired officer Derek Chauvin now face charges themselves, according to Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is increasing charges against Derek Chauvin to 2nd degree in George Floyd’s murder and also charging other 3 officers. This is another important step for justice.
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) June 3, 2020
Three former officers of the Minneapolis Police Department can be seen in a widely-seen video, putting all their weight on top of George Floyd until he died while handcuffed in custody. They include Chauvin who forced his knee into George Floyd’s neck for nearly ten minutes. Chauvin is now to be charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter — as well as officers Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng. A fourth former officer, Tou Thao, is seen on the video near the others.
Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines indicate two different possibilities for intentional second-degree murder and unintentional second-degree murder. The former sentencing guideline calls for, upon conviction, 25 and a half years in prison, whereas the latter calls for 12 and a half years.
On Monday, Ben Crump, the attorney representing George Floyd’s family, released the findings of an independent autopsy and said they determined that Floyd died of asphyxiation from sustained pressure. However, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s final autopsy report said that the cause of death was homicide, due to cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint and neck compression.
Ellison took the lead on the case last week. There were calls from all over the world for Ellison to prosecute Floyd’s death. Literally, millions of people phoned in their concerns to Minneapolis Police Department, the Governor, Ellison and anyone who might have a say in the justice system.
